


The Whole Art of Detection and Falling in Love

by Unit25A



Category: Persona 4, Persona Series
Genre: Awkward Crush, Awkward Flirting, Awkward Romance, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Romance, awkward everything
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-15
Updated: 2018-11-15
Packaged: 2019-07-24 16:13:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16178609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Unit25A/pseuds/Unit25A
Summary: Solving murders is easy, but falling love is a whole other story... Join Naoto and Yu as they figure it out together!(Series of Naoto X Yu oneshots)#8: One Night Stands and Lost Weekends: After a one-night stand, Yu and Naoto are forced to confront what’s always been between them…





	1. #1: At Close Range

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> #1: At Close Range- Yosuke's idiotic "Group Date Cafe" is the perfect place for Naoto to get closer to her target, but will she get more than she bargained for...?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi~ “At Close Range” is a thriller by Laura Griffin, the 11th in the “Tracers” series.   
> I didn't understand what a "Group Date Cafe" was and even after watching the episode twice, I still don't get it. Either way it's a funny idea, and a maybe even a good place for romance to bloom~  
> Enjoy!  
> -Unit25A

At Close Range

 

Curiosity was one of the main tenants of a detective’s personality. It’s what drew detectives inexorably to investigate. Naoto was no exception. Even though she still had an open case, the main object of Naoto’s curiosity was focused elsewhere- the leader of the Investigation Team, Yu Narukami. And in order to investigate properly, a detective had to get close to their target. But with such a large group of friends constantly orbiting him, it was difficult to close the distance necessary to get the information she desired. The school’s festival, however, gave her the perfect opportunity. Yosuke’s “Group Date Cafe” idea had turned out to be a hit. When girls found out that one of the hosts was none other than the hottest topic of school gossip himself Yu Narukami, it soon became the most popular booth. Two lines had formed outside of the classroom, one for girls looking to spend 10 glorious minutes of small talk over lukewarm tea with Yu, and another for desperate guys trying to catch a moment with those girls. In times like these, strategy was necessary and what Naoto felt she lacked in feminine wiles, she made up for in strategic thinking.

She straightened her cap and approached the ticket booth being manned by an exasperated second year boy.

“Calm down ladies” he shouted into the crowd of squealing girls, then turned to Naoto with a frown.

“Can I help you?” he asked, wrinkling his nose at her as she leaned over the counter.

“I was looking to see Narukami-senpai” she said, dropping her voice low.

“Yeah, you and every other crazy girl in this damn school” he snorted “Get in line, sister.”

“As you can you imagine, I’m pretty busy with my work with the police force” she said breezily “What would it take for this line to just…Go away?”

“Nice try. But I don’t take bribes” he refuted “Get outta here before I call a teacher.”

Naoto wasn’t naive. She knew how the world worked. Sometimes palms needed to be greased, and everyone had a price. All it took was figuring out what that price was.

“That’s too bad” she said innocently, reaching into the inside pocket of her blazer and producing a slip of paper “Especially since I just happen to have…Risette ’s personal home phone number here in my hand and I…”

His eyes lit up at the sight of the folded slip of paper between her fingers. He made a swipe at it, and she pulled it out of his reach. Bingo.

“Ah ah ah. Let’s talk first” she said. “I want three turns with Narukami-senpai. No interruptions”.

“Three turns?! Are you crazy?” he blustered.

She shrugged, and put the paper back into her pocket, and turned slowly as if she was walking away.

“H-hey wait a second here!” he hollered after her. A smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth. She had him right where she wanted him now. She turned back, and watched the gears turn in his head as he weighed the cost of being caught taking bribes with the prize of Risette’s number.

“…Fine” he said eventually “But this had better be legit!”

“Naturally” she replied. It was, in a way, legit. The publicly available phone number of the Kujikawa Tofu Shop still counted as Rise’s home phone number, considering that she also lived there. In a court of law, there was no way she would be found guilty.

When the round ended, Yu waved goodbye to the girl he had been entertaining and smiled at the next lucky girl as she took her seat. Naoto tried to hide her smugness as the grumpy second year who had accepted Naoto’s bribe promptly turfed the girl out of her seat.

“But I’ve been waiting for like 40 minutes!” she cried shrilly.

“Well you can wait a little longer then” he snapped, pointing to the door. Scowling, the girl stood and stomped away.

“Three turns. He’s all yours. Have fun” he said, pushing in Naoto’s chair and tipping her a wink as he walked away.

“Hey Naoto” Yu said, looking almost startled “Didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Oh well, you know, apparently three rounds with you in the Group Date Café was uh, the prize for winning Miss Yagoshima” she said, not meeting his eyes, even though this was also not technically a lie. After the whole ordeal was over, they’d asked her if she’d wanted a prize, and at the time she’d been too shocked and humiliated to even find her voice to answer. But if she had have spoken then, this is what she would have asked for. No court would find her guilty of cashing a check, surely.

“I had no idea that was a prize…Well I’m glad either way” he said warmly.

Naoto felt a jolt of electricity thrum through her veins at his words.

“R-really?” she said, loosening the collar on her crisp white shirt. She felt very warm all of a sudden. She’d worn her extra-good turquoise suit and matching waistcoat today for the sake of the pageant, and even let Rise put a little make-up on her- a smattering of silver eye-shadow, some mascara on her lashes and a little cherry flavoured-gloss on her lips. Maybe one good thing had come of it.

“Yeah, really” he said earnestly “I realized, I don’t know much about you. Now we can get to know each other better.”

“Uh yeah, great” she replied, a smile spreading across her face.

 “I’ll go get us some drinks” he said, rising from his seat. And then he shot her one of those famous dazzling smiles, rendering her completely speechless.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Next time she saw Yosuke, she was going to give him a big hug, she decided. Well, maybe not, given his…quite frankly entirely rotten personality. But he had been right on the money suggesting a Group Date Café. Naoto and Yu had spent 30 glorious minutes together, heads bent close together while they talked. As it turned out, they had a lot in common. They both liked the same books (old-fashioned mystery novels and Swedish crime thrillers), they both took their coffee the same way (cream and two sugars) and they both indulged in the same guilty pleasures (children’s cartoons and trashy romance movies). They also had the same sense of dry humor and kept each other laughing for the full duration of their “date”. Being so close to him allowed her to appreciate his good looks up close and personal. With his strong jaw; soft, kind eyes and perfect smile, she suddenly understood why the line to the cramped little classroom stretched around the corner. But she bet none of those other girls knew that he had a way of listening that made her feel as if she was the only one in the room.

While he laughed at one of her terrible jokes, she couldn’t stop herself staring at the way his lips curled in mirth. She bit her own lip, imagining how it would feel to have those lips of his glide over her own and-

Oh dear God. She slammed the breaks on her train of thought. This was bad. Getting too close to the target was a big no-no. She was in too deep now. By some small mercy, the bell rang for the third time, snapping Naoto out of the spiral of panic she’d fallen into.

“Is that the time already?” he said. She couldn’t help but enjoy the look of disappointment on his face at their time being up.

“I guess time flies when you’re having fun” she said, trying to keep the twinge of sadness out of her voice. It had been fun, but now it was time to go back to the real world, where guys like Yu never got so close to girls like Naoto.

He coughed and cleared his throat awkwardly.

“I hope we can… Do this again sometime” he said, lowering his eyes to study the tablecloth very intensely.

“What, get Yosuke to organize another Group Date Café?” she said, laughing a little.

“N-no” he stuttered, a pink blush suddenly colouring his cheeks. It was uncharacteristic to see the ever-cool and charismatic leader Yu Narukami get flustered. “I meant like… Go to a real café… And have a…A real date.”

Naoto felt the air leave her lungs. This couldn’t be happening. Was this real life? Her own face flushed police-siren red, but she tried to swallow down her own embarrassment.

“W-well I am sure w-we can, uh, check our schedules and-and coordinate s-something” she stuttered in her usual manic business-like manner.

“Sounds good to me” he said breathily, looking relieved. Then, in one quick motion he leaned across the table and pressed a feather-light kiss on her cheek. “I’ll text you.”

She clapped her hand to her cheek with a soft gasp.

“I’ll uh, I’ll text you” she stammered, then realizing it sounded more like an order than a reply added a hasty “back”. Under the watchful eye of the irritated second-year, she stood and excused herself from the room with an awkward bow.

When she got out of the room, she collapsed against the wall, her chest heaving. Oh, Yosuke was getting that hug for sure now.


	2. #2: Mortal Danger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Naoto's risk-taking behaviour leads her to real danger, Yu is there once again to patch her up. But he fears he may not always be there to catch her...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello~  
> Here’s day two of NaoYuTober! Today’s title comes from the book “Mortal Danger” by Anne Rule.  
>  I started watching a lot of Grey’s Anatomy. And I mean like, a lot, which has really influenced my headcannon that Yu would become a doctor. I think he’d really want to save people’s lives <3 Naoto would obviously join the Tokyo Metropolitan Police as their star detective. I can imagine things wouldn’t always be smooth sailing between them, with Naoto being such a risk taker and him being such a nurturer. I think her flirting with danger would cause him to worry a lot…  
> Enjoy!  
> -Unit25A

Mortal Danger

_9 pm._

_She’d promised she’d be home by 9 pm._

_She promised she’d be safe, she’d stay safe and she’d be home by 9 pm._

_She’d promised him she’d be home long before his shift finished._

_She’d answer all his messages and calls._

_And she’d be home by 9 pm._

Naoto felt her consciousness come gradually to the surface. She tried to wedge her eyes open, but like the rest of her body, they felt heavy as lead. A throbbing, dull ache permeated her whole body, radiating from her left hip and the center of her face. What had happened?

_The punch to the jaw had stunned her, spun her around-_

_When she saw him reach for his gun, she’d tried to pull her own but he was quicker-_

_She could only watch in horror as the muzzle flashed and the world shattered-_

 With a groan, she forced herself to open her eyes and assess her surroundings. She was in a dimly lit white-tiled room, lying on a metal framed bed. The window next to her bed was open, and a cool breeze was wafting in. The sky was ablaze with a hazy pink glow, and the glittering lights of the buildings were starting to wink out. She guessed it was dawn, and Tokyo was starting to wake up.

She was wearing a light blue paper gown and wrapped in a crisp white sheet. Someone had tied her waist-length hair into a messy bun, and it was tickling her neck. She shakily lifted a hand to fix it, and balked at the sight of the IV attached to the back of her hand. There were some fears that were never grown out of, and even at age 26 Naoto still couldn’t bear needles. Her horror grew as she realized that more wires and tubes were protruding from her body and feeding into various machines and bags of fluid at the side of her bed. She tried to ignore the nausea rising in her, and with great effort she pressed the call button to summon some help.

A tall man stepped into the room, and Naoto couldn’t hold back a shallow gasp as the dim light revealed him as her long-term boyfriend and Tokyo University Hospital surgical intern, Yu Narukami. He didn’t say a word to her as he checked the read out of the monitors that were keeping track of her vitals and recorded them in her chart. He then silently gave her a physical exam and checked the bandages on her wound. He sighed, folded his stethoscope around his neck and stepped back to look at her. He had this way of looking through the carefully constructed mask she wore, seeing past the front she put up. She couldn’t look at him, not when his eyes were so full of pain as they searched hers for answers. She waited silently for him to speak first. She owed him that at least.

“What happened?” his voice was quiet and low, was but there was no mistaking that this was a demand, not a question. “Because I’m trying to understand. You told me you’d be home by 9 pm. You said you’d answer every message and call. And then you arrive here in the middle of the night with a gunshot wound and a broken nose and I had to patch you up”

She bit her sore, swollen lower lip.

“Can we talk about this when I’m discharged Yu-” she protested wearily.

“Now,” he said, in that same dangerously quiet voice, his usually gentle eyes burning into her.

She tasted copper, and realized she’d bitten down hard enough to tear her lip.

“I…I was following up on a case” she murmured “I knew one of our suspects was hiding something. So I…I tailed him all the way to Shinjuku. He must have…Realized I was there. He stunned me, hit me in the face and then he…He shot me.”

“Where was your partner?” Yu asked, as if he didn’t already know the answer. She gave him her best ‘please don’t do this’ look, but he wasn’t backing down tonight.

“He wasn’t….” she began, shame coursing through her “I was…Alone”

His only reaction was to bow his head, and suck in a deep breath. He flipped through her chart

“Do you know you coded in the ambulance?” he said, without even looking at her “And on the table too, in the OR. Your body couldn’t handle the trauma you put it through.”

“I’d say it made for an interesting surgery at least” she said, trying to make her voice light “I know how difficult it is for interns to get interesting surgeries-”

“God damnit, Naoto!” he suddenly shouted at her, slamming the chart down on the table at her bedside, not caring that the door was open and the whole hospital floor could hear him. The bang startled Naoto. “I was in that OR for hours, trying to help save your damn life after you recklessly put yourself in danger!”

He raked his hands through his grey hair. He was crying. She could see the hot tears streaking his perfect face. She just wanted to take him into her arms and stroke his beautiful hair, feel how soft and silky it was under her fingers-

“You know you shouldn’t do these things alone!” he yelled “What the hell were you thinking?”

“I was thinking I had to apprehend the perp before he disappeared-” she tried, before he cut her off.

“Don’t pretend that this isn’t the only time you’ve pulled a stunt like this!” he cried “You constantly break rank, you go off alone and you’re gone all hours of the night-”

“Oh, don’t you give me that!” she snapped back, raising her own voice at him “You’re the one who works 48-hour shifts-”

“Then how come I spend more time alone in our apartment alone than you do?” he shot back.

The room suddenly span, and Naoto felt her breath catch. A loud alarm from one of the monitors cut through their argument. Yu moved to her side and wordlessly began to adjust the IV attached to her arm. He pressed a few buttons on the monitor, to release more drugs into her system.  

“Do you have any idea how much I worry…” he whispered. The soft green glow of the monitor’s read out screen illuminated his features with an ethereal green glow. The years had only made him more handsome as his face had matured. “Do you have any idea how much I worry when you don’t come home? When you don’t return my calls and texts? I’m always scared that you’re lying in a gutter somewhere. And then you tell me I’m being silly, and I tell myself I’m being paranoid, but I lie awake every single moment I’m not with you imagining-” He gestured to Naoto’s pathetic, broken body “-This…”

His voice caught on the last word, and he wiped the tears that were flowing heavily down his face with the back of his white coat. She hadn’t even realized she was crying too, until she felt the salt of her own tears sting her bleeding lip.

“I was scared, Naoto” he said, the raw terror in his voice causing her chest to ache “I was in the OR, I was helping while they worked on you and then I looked at my hands and it hit me that-” he paused to suck in a breath “It hit me it was your blood. Your blood on my hands. And some day, I might not be able to fix you and I could…I could lose you.”

He dissolved into painful sobs, and all Naoto could do was wrap her hand around his.

“I’m…I’m sorry” she said softly “I…I am reckless and stupid. I put myself in danger. I think there’s…There’s still a part of me that feels like I have something to prove. That I have to show the world that I’m…Good enough, that I don’t need help.”

He sighed, and stepped closer to her, pulling her into his chest and resting his chin on top of her head. Then he wrapped his arms around her tightly, as if she might disappear if he let go. He said nothing for a long time, only stood locked in her embrace, pensively stroking her cheek.

“Oh Naoto, you are good enough. More than good enough…You might be stupid and reckless, and you do dangerous things but- you’re also one of the smartest and bravest people I know. You’re the Detective Prince! You purposefully got yourself kidnapped and thrown into a TV to catch a murderer for crying out loud!” he said, laughing a little through his tears.

“-I’m sorry, Yu, I’m so so sorry, I promise from now on I won’t pull dangerous stunts anymore, I promise I’ll think more I promise I’ll-” she sobbed.

“-But it’s who you are” he finished, cradling her head “It drives me crazy, but it makes you great. So, don’t promise me things you can’t make good on. I’ve always told you I never wanted you to change so… I think I’d just settle for you trying to be more careful and answering my calls every now and then. Because I…I love you.” 

“I love you too” she whimpered into his chest, her tears leaving spreading stains on his blue scrubs “I’m sorry I put you through this.”

“I’m sorry I yelled” he murmured.

“I deserved it” she half-smiled. She pulled her head away from his chest to look into his eyes again. There were dark, bruise-like circles under his eyes. He probably hadn’t slept since she’d been admitted. He treated her to a sweet, loving smile and brought his head down to kiss her. She leaned into the kiss deeply, as trying to pour all the love she felt in her heart into him through her lips. Her face felt flushed. After all these years, his kisses still made her melt.

“Well doc, I think you’ve fixed me” she giggled as he pulled away. “But you know, I think I might need some extra attention….”

He laid her gently down onto her pillow and tucked the sheets back around her.

“Careful now” he replied, a flirtatious and playful edge to his voice “Or I might not let you sleep…”

“Oh please…” she said, but she was already starting to feel heavy and sleepy again.

“You rest for now” he whispered, “And I’ll be here when you wake up.”

He pressed a kiss to her forehead as her eyelids gave up the fight.

He was a good man, she thought, as she started to drift off again. Reckless as she was, she never wanted to do anything to endanger what they had.

 


	3. #3: The Midnight Before Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> #3: The Midnight Before Christmas- Naoto plans a surprise for her boyfriend for Christmas Eve, and manages to surprise herself too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO!  
> Here we are with story number 3! It’s disgracefully early for this, but I love Christmas, so much so I don’t really care. It’s so interesting that Japan has interpreted it as a romantic holiday. I know that people take some issue with Naoto’s Christmas date, and I understand that. So, here’s my take on it. (Also pls be aware, I didn’t intend this to be taken as any more than heavy petting, nothing sexual)  
> The title comes from the Christmas-themed thriller “The Midnight Before Christmas” by William Bernhardt.  
> I hope you enjoy my story! Any comments and questions are welcomed!  
> -Unit25A

The Midnight Before Christmas

 “N-Naoto, w-wake up!”

Naoto only groaned and buried her head deeper into the crook of the neck of the boy she was lying next to. Oh, she wasn’t moving, not for anything. It had been an absolutely perfect night, and she wasn’t ready for it to end yet.

A week ago, Yu had asked her if she had plans on Christmas Eve and she had been about to rattle off the list of tasks she had to take care of at the police station but stopped short when he had shyly added: “I have a surprise for you”.

“Oh…Oh well, in that case I will certainly make sure I am available” she had said in her usual stiff and business-like manner, making him grin in mirth.

“I’m looking forward to it then” he had said. And then, spontaneously, he’d given her a little kiss on the cheek, and smiled widely when he saw how flustered it had made her. He loved to embarrass her, it was really very unkind of him (but at the same time, she never ever wanted him to stop).

She had walked home that day in deep thought. If he had a surprise for her, then it would be prudent for her to try and surprise him too, she had reasoned. She had already made him a Christmas present (a handmade watch, that would sync up with her watch to let both of them know how far they were from each other) but she wanted to do more for him. She had really racked her brains, until something hanging on the back of her closet door had caught her eye.

With her gifts in tow, she had headed to the Dojima residence on Christmas Eve. Apparently the two of them would have the house to themselves for the night, as Nanako was still in the hospital with her dad watching over her. Naoto had obviously felt bad for the little one and of course her co-worker too, but at the same time couldn’t help but feel grateful for the extra privacy. No-one else needed to see the “surprise” she had prepared for her boyfriend (it still felt odd to call him that and far far too odd to ever say it out loud or admit it to someone else). When he had greeted her at the door, he’d immediately swept her up in his arms and led her up the stairs, telling her to cover her eyes before she entered his room. As if she had already been feeling nervous enough already, the realization that she had never been in a boy’s room before (crime scenes did not count) had dawned on her.

“Ok…Now open them!” he’d cried. The room was lit softly, giving it a warm, rosy glow. In the centre of the room, a kotatsu with a blue blanket was set up with comfortable cushions arranged around it. Atop the kotatsu had sat a magnificent cream cake, topped generously with strawberries, chocolate and whipped cream. She’d smiled wide as she’d read the chocolate plaque with “Merry Christmas Naoto” written in white icing.

“I made it myself” he’d said, more than a touch of pride in his voice.

“Yu…Thank you so much” she had whispered “No one has ever done anything so nice for me before.”

He’d kissed her cheek, and leaned down the wrap both arms around her from behind. “You deserve all this and more” he’d whispered into her ear.

Like a gentleman, he’d taken her hat and coat and guided her down to the table, spreading the blanket over her knees before settling in next to her. They’d ate the cake together, whiling the time away exchanging gifts (he’d loved the watch, and accepted it almost tearfully. He in turn had given her a very beautiful silver pen with her name engraved on it, and she’d been so overwhelmed she’s had to hide her face in her hands when she’d received it) chatting and laughing, punctuated with dozens of kisses. It had been a blissful, comfortable evening.

But not over yet, she’d thought. She still had her surprise to give.

“Yu…P-Please close your eyes” she’d stammered, sitting him down on his couch.

“Whys that?” he’d asked, frowning in confusion. He may have closed his eyes, but she had to be sure. She’d found a yellow bandana on Yu’s sofa, and wrapped it around his eyes.

“Okay, okay” he’d laughed, and put his hands over his blindfolded eyes “There, see. Triple sure.”

Wordlessly, she had started to unpack the larger bag she had brought with her. She had exchanged her plaid trousers, white dress shirt and blue waistcoat for the pleated skirt, sailor-collared blouse and knee socks of the Yagosami High girl’s winter uniform. Finally, she’d tied the yellow scarf around her neck and let out a deep breath before giving herself a look over in Yu’s full-length mirror.

_Wow_

She’d barely recognized herself. It had been almost literally a decade since she’d worn a skirt, or any other kind of feminine clothing. It had been terrifying but at the same time, a little thrilling. She’d realized suddenly that she didn’t hate how she looked. She had never believed that she would ever get to the point where she would feel comfortable in her own skin enough to wear a skirt again. But thanks to Yu, she’d come to terms with herself. She wasn’t afraid to look at herself anymore.

“Can I open my eyes now?” he’d asked after a couple of minutes.

“Uh oh- yeah sure” she’d stuttered “Go ahead”

Naoto had to admit she had loved the way his eyes had widened, and his cheeks had coloured when he had seen her standing there in the unfamiliar outfit.

“Naoto…Wow…” he’d gasped softly “You look…Wow.”

Naoto had cleared her throat, and tried her best to speak at the upper end of her vocal range.

“Well, you said you liked me better with a higher voice, so I thought maybe you might like to see what I looked like… Like this…”

To her dismay, Yu’s expression had broken into a small frown. He had reached his arms out to her, and took her hands. With him sitting and her standing, for once she’d been the one towering over him. It was an odd perspective.

“Naoto…I don’t want you to change to make me happy” he had said, his voice as soft and sincere “When I said I liked you better with a higher voice, I meant I liked it better when you used your own voice, not the deep voice you put on when you’re trying to sound tough. I meant what I said that day. I love you, exactly the way you are.”

“And I…” her throat had become thick, and it had become very difficult to speak. She had never felt so deeply, so purely for someone before, but translating those feelings into words had been almost impossible for her. With her normal, relatively-high voice she had finally found the courage to reply.

 “I…I…l-love you too, Yu. And I mean that too.”

His face had lit up brighter than the Christmas tree at Junes, and it had made her heart leap. She had more to say though. It had almost been as if the dam holding her feelings back had burst, and she couldn’t stop herself now.

 “But really Yu…I’m not changing to make you happy. I feel like I’m changing because… I feel like for the first time in my life, I’m getting to know who I am. And you, and everyone has helped me so much, so incredibly much. I can’t thank you all enough- especially…Especially you.”

That had made him smile wider.

“But I hope…I hope you could love me, even if I change more” she had finished, biting her lip.

“Oh Naoto,” he’d sighed headily, pulling her close and burying his head against her shoulder. “I would love you no matter what.”

Naoto had placed a kiss on the top of his head in answer, drinking in the wonderful feeling. So, this was what it felt like. Unconditional love.

With a playful growl, he had flipped her onto the sofa and started to tickle her, scattering rapid fire kisses along her neck.

What followed was a night wrapped in his soft, tight embrace, exchanging deep, sweet kisses, until they fell asleep in each other’s arms on the couch.

It had been most perfect night of her life.

And now Yu was trying to ruin it for her with his nagging.

“Five more minutes!” she protested. She never wanted to move again, never wanted to leave this pure and perfect moment.

“No, Naoto you need to get up right now-” he said, his voice sounding panicked.

Naoto could hear the sound of the bedroom door swinging open, and she was suddenly thrown off of the couch and onto the ground, and she yelped in pain as her head hit the floor.

“Yu, that really hurt-” she whined, throwing her hands up to cradle her aching head. When she opened her eyes to confront her boyfriend, she found herself staring upside down at none other than a member of Inaba’s finest detective, Ryotaro Dojima.

_Oh no._

His face was carefully blank, the same look she’d seen him wear when sizing up suspects.

“Good morning, Detective Shirogane” he said stiffly, his hands on his hips.

Naoto had never wanted the ground to swallow her up more than in this moment. This was an unmitigated disaster of the highest order. The evidence was stacked against her- she had been discovered in the bedroom of his nephew, curled up cozily beside him, wearing a skirt. Guilty of all-night heavy petting sessions on all counts.  
“Yu,” he said, a subtle but definite edge to his voice “A word in the kitchen, please.”

The colour had completely drained from Yu’s face, and he gave Naoto a look of pure terror as he wordlessly followed his uncle downstairs to the kitchen.

Naoto crawled to the landing and cocked an ear to listen to the conversation downstairs.

“I-I’m sorry uncle I-” she heard Yu stutter.

“I know, Yu, I know” Dojima said, his voice softening “You’re a good kid. And so is she. I trust you both. But next time, I’d prefer it if you cleared it with me, and followed some ground rules. But for now, why don’t you go and call your girlfriend for breakfast, and I’ll make some coffee. Then I need you both to help me get things ready for Nanako coming home…”

Naoto breathed a sigh of relief. Cleared on all counts.

Yu came to the bottom of the stairs, and smiled when he looked up and saw her.

If a year ago, even six months ago, someone had told her she’d be dressed in a skirt, drinking coffee at the table in her boyfriend’s house on Christmas Day, she wouldn’t have believed them. Not by a long shot. But a lot had changed recently. Especially her.

And to her surprise, she couldn’t be happier.


	4. #4: Sleep Tight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> #4: Sleep Tight- When Naoto receives a mysterious summons from a very sleep-deprived Yu, she isn't sure what to expect...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there~  
> Well I missed a few days of posting. That’s life isn’t it? The title of this story is taken from Caroline Mitchell’s thriller “Sleep Tight”.  
> It’s really hard to get a good night’s sleep when you’re alone. I didn’t sleep for more than 4 hours at a time for almost 5 weeks when I moved into my apartment by myself. Feeling secure is almost impossible (I know I won’t be getting any sleep tonight, not since I saw a cockroach in my living room… I killed it though so it’s ok). Poor Yu, having to be all alone while his uncle is working and Nanako is sick! I am sure having Naoto around would help him an awful lot though~  
> Enjoy!  
> -Unit25A

Sleep Tight

 

“Can u come 2 mine after skool 2day?”

“SURE WILL BE THERE AFTER CLEANING”

Naoto pressed send on her reply to Yu, and closed her phone.

“Did you get a message from Yu-senpai to come to his house after school today?” she asked Rise, turning in her seat to face the ex-idol. She immediately regretted it when she saw a manic gleam spark in her friend’s eyes.

“No I did not as a matter of fact” she said, her features stretching into a mischievous grin “I guess you’re having some one-on-one time with senpai tonight then. And you know what that means…”

Naoto’s eyes went wide. Just her and Yu? She couldn’t remember if she’d ever spent time alone with him in all the time she’d known him. Now that she thought about it, she had never spent any time alone with any boy ever, especially not a one as handsome as Yu-

She shook her head, in an effort to dispel those thoughts.

“I-I don’t think it’s anything like that…” Naoto stuttered, feeling panic rising in her. What could he want with her? She couldn’t exactly text him back and tell him no now…

She spent the rest of the day absently staring out of the window, pondering the meaning of his 29 character text. As soon as she was finished with her lessons and after-school cleaning duties, she made her way to the Dojima household and rang the bell with a shaking hand.

He answered the door to her in his lounge clothes, grey tracksuit bottoms and a cream knitted woollen sweater. He looked cosy, she thought. Asides of course, from the dark-purplish circles underneath his eyes. _He hasn’t been sleeping_ , she deduced.

“Hi Naoto” he greeted her, ushering her inside “Thanks for coming so late.”

“It’s not a problem” she said stiffly, allowing him to take her coat and hat.

“I’m just finishing up making some curry if you’d like some?” he offered, leading her through to the kitchen where the delicious smell of pork curry was wafting through the room.   
“Sure” she replied, taking her usual seat at the tea table. The room felt less cramped than usual without the rest of the Investigation Team crowding it, but that only served to remind her that they were in fact, all alone together. Her heart thundered in her ears.

He set down a plate of curry in front of her with a smile, and sat opposite her. Had he really just invited her over for dinner? She couldn’t bear another minute of anxiety, she had to ask or she’d explode-

“If you don’t mine me asking, Yu-senpai, why is it you asked me over today?” she chose her words very carefully.

“Ah yeah, sorry” he said, stifling a yawn “I must have forgotten in my message. It was raining today so I thought the Midnight Channel might be on, and we could watch it together, maybe pick up some more clues.”

She felt her body untense slightly with relief. Things to do with the case, she could work with. Affairs of the heart, on the other hand, were completely foreign to her.

“Very well,” she replied, wiping her face with a napkin “We can watch the Midnight Channel together, and then I will head home.”

“Sounds good” he smiled, managing to dazzle her even with bloodshot eyes.

She perched herself stiffly on the edge of the couch as she watched him clean up. She noted how he wrapped a plate in clingfilm and set it aside in the fridge for his uncle to have if and when he returned home, with a tinge of sadness. She could understand his situation, with her own grandfather working long nights as a detective. Yu surprised her by setting down a mug of coffee in front of her, and sitting down next to her on the couch. She couldn’t help but notice how close together they were sitting. His knee was practically touching hers, and she could feel the heat of his body radiating through the soft fabric of his pants.

“You ok?” he asked her, reaching for the remote to turn the television on.

“Y-yeah” she replied a little too quickly “O-of course!”

“You just look a little flushed is all” he said, putting a hand to her forehead. She jolted at the sudden physical contact, and felt her heart leap.

“Hmm” he leaned into her face closely, scrutinizing her. “You don’t feel like you have a fever…”  
“N-no I don’t feel unwell” she stammered, arching away from him. She couldn’t bear for him to see her like this, so flustered. Not when he looked so cool and collected all of the time.

“Good,” he said, resting his hand on the back of the sofa behind her head. “You always work yourself too hard, Naoto-kun. You shouldn’t let it take its toll on your health.”

They spent the rest of the evening watching re-runs of British crime dramas, squinting hard at the subtitles and trying to remember what they could from English class.

“You’d think it would be easier to understand these guys” Yu commented with a barely stifled yawn “Seeing as they are from England. I can never understand what that ‘Molse’ guy is saying.”

“We learn American-English in school though, Yu-senpai” she said. “At least they aren’t speaking Irish-English or Scottish-English...”

 It was getting late, coming up to almost 11:30 pm according to her watch. More than anything though, she didn’t want to break the spell that had fallen over the Dojima household. Watching over-the-top crime dramas and exchanging conversation with a hazy-with-sleep Yu, his arm practically around her shoulder, was a wonderful, comfortable way to spend an evening. She was almost disappointed when he removed his arm and folded it across his chest. His heavy-lidded eyes were drooping further by the second. He wasn’t going to last much longer.

“Do you want to rest for a little bit?” she asked him gently “You look pretty tired.”

He nodded, blinking blearily and leaned his head into his chest.

“You know, Naoto-kun” he said, his voice husky “There was another reason why I asked you to come tonight.”

Naoto felt her pulse spike. Could Rise have been right? Had he asked her here under false pretences?

“…I haven’t been sleeping so good lately. With Nanako in the hospital and uncle at work…” he admitted. “It’s been tough…”

“I understand, senpai” she said sympathetically “It’s difficult to feel safe alone…”

“Yosuke stayed over with me a few times this week, but really he’s just as freaked out as I am” he said, his voice trailing off “I thought if you were around for a few hours, I might feel a bit…safer…Might sleep….A bit easier…”

Naoto was stunned by his admission, and she felt colour rise in her cheeks again. Did having her around really make him feel safer?

“Wow, senpai I don’t know what to say-” she began, before she was cut off by a loud snore. She smiled softly. He’d fallen into a deep sleep by the look of things. His head slid further to the side, until it was resting on her shoulder.

“S-senpai-” she squeaked. Now THIS was close. His long eyelashes cast shadows across his cheeks in the dim glow of the TV. He looked so peaceful in his sleep, his chest rising and falling in a slow, steady rhythm with his deep breaths. It made her feel sleepy too. It wouldn’t hurt if she shut her eyes for two minutes surely? She rested her head against his, and closed her eyes.

Two minutes, she thought as she began to give into sleep. She could see where he was coming from. She definitely felt safer with him there.


	5. #5: One Man's Castle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> #5- One Man’s Castle- In the magical land of Ingary, everyone knows that being born the eldest of three marks you for misfortune, least of all Naoto Shirogane. However, her troubles don’t begin until the moving castle starts to rove the hills above her hometown of Inaba, and she meets the mysterious Wizard Yu … (Howls’ Moving Castle!AU)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!  
> Have you ever written something you knew was bad and self-indulgent, but you just couldn’t stop? This is a bit how I felt writing this one. I had an awful lot of fun writing it, even if I feel I did put a little too much effort into it and didn’t get the level of quality I expected…   
> Howl’s Moving Castle is my all-time favourite book and all-time favourite film. I hope you enjoy my take on a NaoYu Howl’s Moving Castle AU! The title of the chapter comes from “One Man’s Castle” by Gregory L. Norris.  
> -Unit25A

One Man’s Castle

In the land of Ingary, where such things as seven-league boots, cloaks of invisibility and Personas really exist, it is quite a misfortune to be born the eldest of three. Everyone knows you are the one who will  fail first, and worst, if the three of you set out to seek your fortunes. Naoto Shirogane was the eldest of three children. She was not even the child of a department store owner, which might have given her some chance of success. Her parents were well to do, and ran a detective agency in the prosperous town of Inaba. Naoto had known from her extensive reading from a young age, that she had little to no chance of an interesting future, and set about instead grooming her younger brother Minato and sister Fuuka for success. With the tragic and sudden death of her beloved parents, Naoto found herself expediting her plans for them to seek their fortunes. As the youngest, Fuuka would be successful without having to lift a finger, or so the belief went, so Naoto scraped together as much money as she could afford and had her sent to a prestigious magic training academy, Gekkoukan High, to be educated and more importantly, make connections. Her life would be set up for her upon leaving school. With the remains of the family’s coffers, she had Minato enter an apprenticeship across town at a bakery. As the middle child, he would have to work harder than Fuuka, but he was more than capable she was sure. Hopefully there he would learn to open up a little and with luck, maybe even take a wife.

This left the family business to Naoto. She broke her back all hours of the day, seven days a week, to keep the doors open. Another young woman might become resentful or rueful about such a dreary, plain existence, but Naoto had expected nothing less as an oldest child. Besides, her dreary and plain existence suited her dreary and plain looks. At the very least, it meant she never had to worry about her heart being eaten by the Wizard Yu. The wizard, it was said, lived in a tall, soot-black castle that roved the hills above Inaba and was known to amuse himself by eating the hearts of young, beautiful girls. He was described as an utterly despicable, cold-blooded man, and no young woman was safe from him if caught alone. Wizard Howl’s return to Inaba indicated that the Witch of the Waste, Risette, was on the move again, no doubt about to begin a campaign of terrorizing the country the way she had fifty years ago.

Naoto was more than happy to bury herself in her work. Until of course, May Day rolled around and she ran out of excuses to visit her brother.

It had been over three months since her last day off, she realised as she dressed herself in her good blue suit in front of the mirror. It was still early out, but she could already hear the sounds of fireworks being set off in the market square. She smiled at her reflection in the mirror, trying to find a flattering light. She gave up with a scowl, and pulled her cap on over her eyes before she locked the doors of the office and set off. The town square was full of life and colour with children playing and happy couples dancing. Naoto felt quite out of place after months of skulking about in the shadows solving cases, and pulled her hat down further over her face to hide. Overwhelmed, she ducked into an alley to take a shortcut to the bakery, and found her path blocked by two men in soldier’s dress blues.

“Well well well” one of them drawled “What do we have here? Has this little mouse gotten lost?”

“She does look pretty lost, doesn’t she, Adachi?” the second one said, elbowing his compatriot in the ribs and leaning closer to Naoto. Naoto stepped back, but there was nowhere to run.

“I think this little mouse looks like she could use a drink, Namatame” the first man said, leering at Naoto.

“Please, I’m just trying to get to the bakery to my brother-” Naoto pleaded, feeling suddenly terrified at being confronted in the daylight.

“Ah, there you are darling” a smooth voice from behind Naoto cut through the chaos, and she suddenly felt a strong arm link her own “Sorry for keeping you waiting.”

“Huh-?” Naoto tried to interject.

“You can both leave now” the mysterious man said, and flicked his wrist. The two soldiers straightened, and marched away, as if they’d been bewitched. Naoto looked up at her rescuer. He was a very tall and extraordinarily handsome man, with a strong jaw, twinkling grey eyes and a dazzling smile. He was wearing a fine suit with black trousers, a crisp white shirt and a shimmering, multi-coloured jacket that shone like jewels in the sunlight. He tugged on her arm urgently, and led her down the alley.

“Now, where to?” he beamed at her.

“T-The bakery” Naoto finally managed to stutter. With a nod of his head, he lead the way down through the side streets.

“Don’t be alarmed, but I’m being followed” the man whispered to her. This did, indeed alarm Naoto, but when she tried to turn her head to the sound of the pursuers, the man leapt forward, Naoto in tow. Without warning, they flew up, and were floating in the air above the hustle and bustle of the festival. Naoto shrieked, and clung to the man’s arm in terror.

“Relax” he said in his cool and collected voice, as he took both of her hands and held her steady. “Just stretch out your legs…And walk”

Naoto nodded mutely, and did as she was instructed. This was ** _unbelievable_**. She was **_walking_** on **_air_**. She felt a heady rush of excitement bubble through her, and suddenly nothing else in the world mattered except the man’s hands in hers, the wind on her face and the dizzying feeling of absolute freedom that thrummed through her.

“You’re a natural” the man commented as he guided her above the rooftops. She felt her face flush at his praise. She’d never felt so alive before. She was sorely disappointed when they alighted the balcony of the bakery. He flashed her a dazzling smile, and kissed the back of her hand before he leapt from the balcony and was gone, leaving Naoto stunned and speechless.

 

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

“Naoto!” she was vaguely aware of Minato shouting at her in disbelief, but in her head she was still floating in the clouds “Someone said you floated down onto the balcony!”

All she could do was nod as her brother lead her indoors to a backroom, and pushed a cream cake into her hands.

“You know you need to be more careful Naoto! What if that had been the Wizard Yu? He could have taken your heart!” Minato scolded her.

“You know he only eats the hearts of pretty girls, Minato” she assured him, the magic of her little excursion wearing off a little as she was brought back to reality. “You don’t have to worry”

Minato rolled his eyes at his older sister’s usual self-depreciating talk.

“Of course I am going to worry about you,” he said, wiping his flour-covered hands on his apron “With the way you throw yourself into your work, the exhaustion will get you before the wizard can”

“It’s really fine, Minato” Naoto said softly “I appreciate it. All I want is for you and Fuuka to be happy.”

“But what about _your_ happiness, Naoto. I know you have this complex about being the oldest child but-”

“Really, Minato” she said, keeping her voice firm but kind “I’m just fine. I have to go now, I have some cases to prepare for the morning. Thanks for the cake.”

Minato bowed his head with a defeated frown, but nonetheless walked her to the door through the throngs of his admirers, brushing them all off with polite and courteous smiles.

“Take care, Naoto” he said, bringing her into a tight embrace “Please try to stay out of trouble.”

“I promise” she vowed to him “Why would trouble find me?”

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

She was still thinking about the mysterious man from the market place as she closed up the shop for the night. The bell over the door rang, and Naoto sighed.

“We’re closed” she said as she entered the foyer “I’m sorry I thought I locked that-”

“What a like, tacky little office” a woman stood in the middle of the foyer said, her nose wrinkled in disgust. She wore floor length gown the colour of raven’s feathers and a wide-brimmed hat with a twinkling veil.

“I-I’m sorry but you’re going to have to leave now-” Naoto was angry now. It had been a long and tiring day, and this was the last thing she needed.

The woman flicked her wrist lazily in Naoto’s direction, sending a strong gust of wind at her.

“And the best part is you won’t even be able to tell anyone about your curse!” the witch said in a sing-song voice “Give my love to Yu~”

She too off with a high-pitched cackle leaving Naoto huddled in place in the middle of the foyer. Slowly, she looked down at her hands and was shocked to see how wrinkled and gnarled they looked. Heart pounding, she rushed to a mirror, and gasped when she saw a 90-year-old woman staring back at her. Her short, dark hair was shock white, and her face was lined with wrinkles.

That woman must have been the Witch of the Waste to have cast such a strong spell on her. Anger boiled in Naoto. If she ever saw that witch again, she’d wring her neck!

When the anger and shock subsided, she was able to look at her reflection again.

“Cheer up, Naoto” she said softly “At least your body suits the rest of you now.”

The way she saw it now, she had nothing left to lose. As destiny had demanded, she’d already been cursed. All that awaited now was her fortune.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Naoto would have never guessed her search for her fortune would lead her to the Wizard Yu’s castle. She would be safe here, she figured. He did only go after the hearts of young, beautiful women after all. She opened the door, and settled herself down in front of the fire.

“This must be my fortune” she said, rubbing her hands together. She felt as if the cold and damp of the hills had seeped into her bones. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw the rough outline a face flickering within the grate. Must have been her old eyes playing tricks on her.

“How did you enter this place?” a voice boomed at her. Naoto noticed that strangely, she didn’t feel afraid. Becoming old seemed to have taken her fear away.

“The door was open” she said, exhaustion heavy in her voice. Although it took away her fear, being old seemed to have made her easier to tire. This time, definitely, she could make out a pair of yellow eyes staring back at her.

“You have a strong curse upon you” the fire said “I could lift it for you…If you agree to a contract with me.”

“A contract?” she mumbled, already half asleep.

“I am Izanagi, a Persona” he said “I am entered into a contract with the Wizard Yu that will kill both of us if not broken. I offer you this deal- break my contract, and I will break your curse.”

“Done…” Naoto muttered before she drifted off to sleep.

She was rudely awoken the next morning by the sound of a child yelling.

“Who let you in here!” the little voice squeaked. Naoto turned her head to see a little boy, around nine or ten years old, with unruly brown hair. Naoto thought quickly, looking around at her surroundings. This castle looked like less a castle and more like a dumpster.

“I’m Old Lady Naoto, the new cleaning lady” she said, her voice croaky with sleep and her newfound age. “This place is disgraceful. Izanagi just hired me.”

The little boy pouted, and turned to the Persona in the fire.

“What if she’d been the Witch of the Waste, Izanagi? Yu would have killed us both!” he cried.

“If she had been the Witch, Yosuke, I would not have allowed her to enter” Izanagi said dryly.

“Yu is not going to be happy about this” Yosuke muttered darkly before the door was flung open and in the Wizard Yu himself stumbled, looking a great deal more dishevelled than Naoto remembered. Of course, there was no way that he’d recognise her.

“Who’ve you let in now, Izanagi?” he said, his perfect features decorated with mirth.

Naoto knew there was no way he would recognise her, not with the Witch’s curse on her, but she couldn’t ignore the way his grey eyes seemed to look through her in a way that took her breath away.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

As the eldest child of three, Naoto had always known that it had been her fate to fail miserably in her endeavours if she ever chose to try and seek her fortune. She hoped, desperately beyond hope as she cradled Yu’s heart in her hand, that she was wrong. Living in his castle, she’d endured his temper tantrums, soothed his fears and learned to understand his soul like no other human being. He had taught her to accept herself, and be true to herself, and in the process fallen deeply, irrevocably in love with him. Together, they had fought off the Witch, the King’s armies and invaders from foreign lands.  Now, she sobbed as she cradled his heart in her hands above his lifeless body.

“Oh Izanagi” she cried “Is he still alive? Will he be ok?”

“Naoto…” Izanagi said groggily “He lives, but he is very weak.”

“It’s so small, like a little bird” she said as she studied the heart. She’d been to the past, and witnessed first-hand how Yu had caught a falling star and swallowed it, entering his contract with Izanagi.

“It is still the heart of a child” Izanagi said softly “You must be the one to return it to him, it must be you. It is the only way to ensure that we both shall live.”

Naoto nodded. She knelt next to Yu’s unconscious body, and laid the heart on his chest.

“Then please,” she begged “Please live, both of you!”

She pushed the heart into the centre of his chest, and a burst of blue light shot into the air.

“I am…I am free” she heard Izanagi’s voice from above her head “You have freed me, Naoto. I cannot thank you enough.”

Izanagi may have been freed, but Yu still lay motionless. Trembling, Naoto leaned over and planted a kiss on his lips. She felt him twitch underneath her, and she pulled away when she felt him start to cough. He clutched his chest in pain.

“Oh Naoto” he groaned “I feel like there’s lead in my chest”

“A heart is a heavy burden” she smiled through her tears, embracing him tightly.

“So I suppose we live happily ever after now?” he said, giving her one of his dazzling smiles.

Naoto responded by kissing him again, hard on the lips, drawing an embarrassed yell from Yosuke.

“I suppose we will”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was my first time writing an AU and to be honest, I felt an awful lot like I was just summarizing the plot of Howl's. If anyone had any tips for writing AUs, I'd be really happy to hear them for the next time.  
> Thanks for reading!  
> -Unit25A


	6. #6: The Confession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> #6: The Confession- After Yu makes a startling confession to Naoto, she finds herself turning to an unusual source for advice…

The Confession 

For most of her adolescence, Naoto’s interactions with the opposite sex had been strictly limited to interviewing witnesses and interrogating suspects. Masquerading as one of them hadn’t exactly won her much positive attention from boys in the past. Even since she had finally started living as a girl again, she noticed regrettably, she hadn’t had a boy so much as look twice at her. She was too focused on her work with the police force, she reasoned, too driven and clever for most boys her age to handle.

That, and she had to admit, she was very plain to look at and not exactly a scintillating conversationalist.

She was happy however, to have so many friends who were boys. Yosuke, Teddy, Kanji and of course, Yu had become very good friends to her. Yu especially, had turned out not just to be a pretty face- he had the makings of a good detective in him too. He’d come running into her homeroom one day while she was on cleaning duty, and showed her a note from a “Phantom Thief” who claimed to be behind the break-in at the Shirogane Estate, and from then the case had been on. They had met almost every day after school to work on the case, solving riddles and piecing together the clues. She couldn’t help but admit, she enjoyed the time she got to spend with him, just the two of them. He talked to her like no one else did, not like she was the Detective Prince, or a stupid girl- he just spoke to her, no preconceptions, no prejudices. It was refreshing, to say the least. He hadn’t even laughed when they’d recovered the detective badge she’d made herself when she was very young.

“I think it’s cute” he’d admitted, flashing her an endearing smile.

_Oh._  
That smile, that adorable upturn of his lips and the sparkle in his eyes had triggered something inside her, something she had never felt before. She tried to swallow the feeling and keep it buried away whenever she was with him because it made it _very_ difficult to be with him. It made her more jittery, more nervous and likely to say stupid and embarrassing things. When he touched her, it was like a thousand volts of electricity going through her (and she noticed he did like to put his hand on her shoulder or her arm an awful lot) and she would jump like a scalded cat. It was exhausting.

It all came to a head the day that they confronted their suspect at the shrine. The mysterious man pulled what they had believed to be a gun, and Yu did the most reckless and selfless thing she had ever seen with her two eyes. The man had raised his “weapon” and without a thought for his own well-being, Yu had flung himself in front of her, shielding her with his own body.

The action had left Naoto speechless, in awe. Before she could even react, the man sprinted away from the scene- leaving Naoto and Yu to deal with the aftermath.

“Y-Yu-senpai! What were you-what were you thinking?!” she cried, “Why would you do something so dangerous!”

 His cheeks flushed a dark pink colour, and he gulped, as if gathering his courage.

“Because I…I’m…I’m in love with you, Naoto” he said, his big grey eyes full of sincerity and equal parts terror.

It was as if a bomb had gone off in Naoto’s mind. If she was speechless before, she was utterly stunned, like a deer caught in the headlights of a semi-truck.

“Yu-senpai I-I-” she stuttered, finding it hard to breathe suddenly “I have to go!”

It was Naoto’s turn to run now, and she sprinted blindly from the shrine through the shopping district before she ran out of steam in front of Junes, and crashed head first into the chest of quite possibly the last person she wanted to see- Detective Dojima.

“Whoa there, Shirogane, where’s the fire?” he said, holding her at arm’s length. As soon as he let go of her, her legs gave way and he had to catch her. “Are you okay?”

“No- I mean uh, yes! Yes I’m just fine” she said breathlessly.

Dojima fixed her with a sceptical stare, the kind she’d seen him wear when a suspect’s story didn’t quite add up. She couldn’t stand there with him for another minute, or he’d surely figure her out.

“I uh, had better go now Detective Dojima” she said altogether too brightly as she backed towards the double doors of the department store and kept walking on autopilot until she reached the group’s usual spot. She lay her head down on the table, the damp wood feeling blessedly cool against her hot forehead. Her mind was racing. What had just happened? Had he really just told her, her of all people, that he-

“You doing ok, Naoto-kun?” She heard a familiar voice call to her. She raised her head to see Yosuke looking at her with concern.

“I'm- I'm just fine” she said, rubbing the indents the table had made on her forehead.

“You don't look fine” he said, setting down the tray he'd been carrying and sitting down opposite her “Did something happen?”

She figured she must look bad if Yosuke of all people was worrying about her.

“You know, Naoto-kun, we might not be that close but you can still talk to me” he said, his voice uncharacteristically soft.

Naoto sighed. If she told Yosuke,

“W-well today I was out with Yu-senpai, confronting the Phantom Thief, and the suspect pulled out what we believed to be a gun on us-”

“Whoah what the hell?! Are you ok?” Yosuke cried, his eyes wide with terror.

“That's not the issue here, Yosuke-senpai” she said, impatient at having her story interrupted. “Of course it wasn't a REAL gun. But nonetheless, Yu-senpai threw himself between me and the suspect. And then when I asked him why he said- he said-” she couldn't meet his eyes anymore, too mortified to speak.

“Well, what did he say?” Yosuke leaned in, thoroughly invested in the events.

“He said he did it because he-he was in love with me” saying it out loud suddenly made the events of the afternoon terrifyingly real.

“And then what happened?” he asked, on the edge of his seat.

“Well then I ran here” she said simply.

“Seriously dude?” Yosuke said, throwing his hands up “Did you seriously just run away and leave him hanging like that?”

“W-well yeah” she stuttered “I didn't know what to do. Was that wrong?” She realised with panic, she must have really hurt his feelings by running away.

“Well like, duh!” Yosuke said incredulous “He finally got the balls to tell you how he felt, and you go and run away like that!”

“Wait, Yosuke-senpai, did you know how he- how he felt about me?” she asked, horrified.

“Of course I did” he said, rolling his eyes “He damn near didn't shut up about you. I was getting tired of him always talking about you, worrying about how you'd take it if he spilled his guts to you. I eventually told him to just ask you out, or learn to deal with it.”

“And then I... I did the exact thing he was worried about” she cringed, feeling shame creep up on her.

“Actually this is about what he expected” Yosuke said, scratching his chin thoughtfully “He was more afraid you'd just outright reject him.”

“Ah...” she sat in completive silence for a second “So, what should I do now?”

“Well jeez Naoto-kun I’m happy to listen and all but do I really look like I know what to do in this sort of situation?” he said, looking obviously uncomfortable.

“Please, Yosuke-senpai, you know Rise would skin me alive if I asked her for advice about this!” she begged.

“Fine, fine. I suppose now you gotta figure out if you like him back or not” he paused for a beat before adding “Do you?”

 She took in a deep breath, and gave a silent nod of her head.

“Well, that's good then” Yosuke said, sighing with relief “I don't think I could have handled him crying over you rejecting him.”

She smiled weakly at him. It felt good to say it, to have it out in the open. She was learning, little by little, how to seek the truth in herself as well as in her cases.

“And then what?” She asked.

“I'm afraid I really can't help you with that one” Yosuke grinned good-humouredly “I can't say I'm an expert at confessing to guys.”

“Do you ... Do you think he'll be mad I ran away?” she asked him, her voice sounding very small and timid in her own ears. Yosuke smiled at her kindly.

“If I know Yu, he's probably more bummed out that he upset you than anything right now” he said, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. “So I wouldn’t worry too much-”

“Yosuke! Are you slacking off?” Yosuke’s manager barked at him, causing him to jump.

“I'd better get back to it” he said, hastily collecting the tray he'd left down. “Just tell him how you really feel, Naoto-kun. Be honest with him.”

“Thanks, Yosuke-senpai” she said, smiling weakly at him. “I'll do that.”

“Good luck” he said as he walked back to his post “Let me know how it goes.”

“Sure” she laughed nervously as she waved him off.

She never would have thought Yosuke of all people would have such good, solid romantic advice. Now all she had to do was follow through on it...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!  
> I’ve written two or three more stories for this series but honestly I am reluctant to post them because I think they’re pretty garbage, this one included. But the point of this challenge wasn’t to produce a masterpiece every time. I just wanted to get myself to write/publish something as often as possible this month, and that includes learning to trade “perfect” for “done”. Be kind to yourselves everyone.   
> Title of this story comes from “The Confession”, from one of my favourite writers John Grisham. I hope you enjoy!  
> -Unit25A


	7. #7: The Good Sister

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> #7: The Good Sister- At the group’s trip to the onsen, Nanako takes the matter of her big brother’s love-life into her own hands.

 The Good Sister

“Don’t hang out of him” Detective Dojima grumbled to his daughter as she tugged at her older cousin’s arm for him to lift her up.

“Ah it’s ok” Yu said, scooping her up in his arms and resting her weight on his hip. She buried her head against his neck, and snuggled against him. Naoto couldn’t miss the sly but distinct, triumphant, cat-that-got-the-cream-look the 6-year old gave Chie, Rise and Yukiko as she cuddled her “big brother”. She knew she was the apple of Yu’s eye, and she made sure she took every opportunity to let all of Yu’s potential girlfriends know it too. Oh it was undeniable, out of all of the girls in Yu’s orbit, the only one he had eyes for was his precious “baby sister”.

“Thanks for this, Mrs Amagi” Dojima said to Yukiko’s mother as he lifted his daughter’s overnight bag across the _genkan_ of the inn. It was really nice of Yukiko’s family to allow all of them and Nanako to stay overnight at the inn for the night for free, Naoto thought. It had been a long day, and after the disaster that had been the “Miss Yagosami” pageant, a soak in the hot springs and some quality time with her friends was just what she needed. The last time they’d got to relax like this together had been the school field trip to Port Island. Of course, they’d all believed then that she was a boy. And truth be told, she was pretty ashamed of how she’d treated them all. She was grateful they weren’t the type to hold grudges.

“Throw an eye to them for me” Dojima said gruffly to Naoto, before heading out the door, throwing a wave over his shoulder to his nephew and daughter.

It really was cute to watch Yu dote on Nanako, Naoto had to admit. She was glued to his side for the whole of dinner, practically seated on his lap, and he was only happy to give her all of his affection. Secretly though, it made her feel a little better. She couldn’t compete with the other girls for Yu’s attention- not with the cute charm that had made Rise a household name or Yukiko’s classic beauty or Chie’s tomboyish style- but knowing that none of them had a chance with Nanako there made it an easier to accept she never had a chance to begin with.

 Just as they were served desert (mochi ice cream, made with the finest Kyoto matcha), Nanako slid off Yu’s lap to sit by Naoto, fixing her with an intense, brown-eyed stare.

“So, you’re like, a girl detective?” she finally asked.

“Nanako-chan, what did we say about asking those kind of questions?” Yu said nervously..

“It’s fine,” she assured him. She appreciated his sensitivity none the less. “Yep, that’s right.”

“Like Loveline?” Nanako’s eyes shone with wonder.

“Y-yeah, I guess, a little like Loveline” Naoto laughed a little as she answered “Only Loveline is a _much_ better detective than I am.”

“Loveline is the best detective in the whole world! Asides from my daddy” Nanako scooted closer to Naoto “What’s your favourite case you ever solved?”

“Hmm, ah, yeah-” Naoto tried to think of a more child-friendly case that wasn’t a gristly murder or violent crime.

“Uh- Ah yes! My favourite case was the time I found a puppy for a sad little girl” Naoto finally said. Nanako listened with rapped attention to Naoto’s story “I followed the clues all the way through town, and I found him down by the bakery eating all the leftover bread! He was a bit fatter when I brought him home to his owner.”

“Wow, Detective Shirogane, you’re such a cool, hardboiled detective” Yosuke sniggered, and Naoto scowled at him.

“You bet!” Nanako chimed.

Yu gave her a good natured smile, and mouthed a “thank you” to her across the table. She returned the smile, and tried to hide her pink-tinged cheeks with the brim of her hat. She answered every single one of Nanako’s questions as the ice cream melted inside her mochi, and even as they got into the bath. Not that she minded. It wasn’t often she got to talk about her work to someone who was actually interested, and Nanako was such a sweet-natured kid.

“Do you like my big brother?” the little girl asked the detective as they got dressed after the boys’ rude interruption to their bath.

“Of course I do” Naoto smiled warmly at the little girl as she helped her tie her yukata “He’s a really nice guy!”

Nanako rolled her eyes unexpectedly.

“Nooo I mean, do you **_like_** him like him!” she said, carefully emphasising her words.

Naoto’s face flushed, not from the heat of the bath.

“ ** _Like_** him like him?! What? What do you mean?” she spluttered “What kind of a question even is that?!”

“Naoto-chan, my big brother doesn’t have a girlfriend anymore. He said he saw her holding hands with his old best friend, so they had to break up. He was all sad, but then he met Yosuke-chan, so now he has a best friend again. Now he just needs a girlfriend, and then he’ll be really happy again” Nanako explained very maturely “And I really think you should be his girlfriend. You’re really pretty and totally smart and you’re really brave just like Loveline!”

Naoto’s mouth opened and shut a few times mechanically in response to the insanity of the situation.

“So? Do you?” Nanako asked again, a deadly serious look in her eye.

Naoto froze. She looked around to make sure none of the other girls were listening, then dropped to Nanako’s level and gave a mute nod.

“Don’t worry, Naoto-chan” Nanako said with a conspiratorial smile “I think you and big bro just need a little push is all. I’ll take care of it…”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Naoto had no idea what Nanako meant by “taking care of it”, and she was almost afraid to find out. She sat next to the child, deep in thought as Chie, Rise and Yukiko chatted amongst themselves. The door burst open suddenly, and Naoto reached for the handgun she kept in her bag and moved to cover Nanako before Kanji, Teddy, Yosuke and Yu burst through the door and fell in a crumpled heap on the floor.

“We were so scared!” Teddy sobbed. “Please don’t make us go back into that haunted room!”

“No way!” Yukiko cried “My mom will go crazy! You can stay here for a little longer but that’s it!”

Gratefully the boys shut the door behind them, looking relieved.

“Come sit over here big bro!” Nanako called to her cousin, and Yu happily flopped down on the tatami next to her.

“I’m cold” Nanako whined. Yu set her on his lap, and wrapped his arms around her. Nanako gestured to Naoto to sit closer, and with hesitation she crawled over to the two of them. Naoto was afraid to even make eye contact with Yu, not now that Nanako knew her secret.

“Naoto looks cold too big bro” Nanako said very sincerely.

“Oh does she now?” Yu said, his smile full of mirth “She looks ok to me.”

“Yeah, she looks freezing!” Nanako insisted, pulling her closer and taking one of Yu’s arms and draping it over Naoto’s shoulders. Naoto found herself pressed flush against Yu’s shoulder, held there by the weight of his arm. Nanako shifted herself so she was sitting half on Naoto’s lap, half on Yu’s, and made herself comfortable between the two of them.

Despite the awkwardness of the position she found it felt pretty…Nice. Yu’s arm around her certainly had warmed her up. It was almost comfortable, except for Nanako’s weight crushing her knee. Naoto looked up at him, and they exchanged a look of bemusement. Nanako was content to sit there, until she sprang to her feet.

“I want some juice!”  she announced, then warned them: “Don’t move!”

“I’m really sorry” he whispered as they watched her skip over to Yukiko to ask for a drink “About Nanako … She asked me last week about my ex-girlfriend. I probably shouldn’t have told her that we broke up because I got cheated on, because now she has it in her head that I really need a new girlfriend…”

“Oh, really?” Naoto feigned surprise.

“Yeah...” he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly with his other hand, laughing to hide his embarrassment “I guess she figured… I just needed a little push to make a move and… You wouldn’t hurt me, if you were my girlfriend, and...Yeah…”

Naoto couldn’t supress an embarrassed smile of her own. Nanako was a good sister, she thought, she really did care about her older brother.

_A little push._

“I-I’m sorry about your girlfriend,” Naoto said, turning her face to his. Her heart was hammering in her chest. Time to be as brave as Nanako thought she was.

“But…For the record…” she said “I wouldn’t hurt you like that…If I was your girlfriend.”

To her surprise, Yu seemed stunned. His face turned red, and he swallowed nervously.  

“Oh, oh good” he stammered “I’d hate for my new girlfriend to do that to me too.”

He paused for a beat, looking thoughtful.  

“I think this is where I’m meant to ask you out isn’t it?” he said, equal parts amused and mortified, and Naoto just leaned in closer to him in answer. She caught Nanako smiling at her from across the room, and Naoto returned it.

_Thanks, Nanako_ …

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone~  
> I think one of the reasons I’m so unsuited to a “one-a-day” challenge is because I think it’s pretty important to let your work sit for a day or two before you go back over it, especially if you feel stuck. I left this one for like, a whole week and then I managed to improve it a bit. Looking at stuff with fresh eyes is always a good idea! I mean I don’t think it’s too fantastic at all but sure that’s not the point of why I’ve been writing any of these. Title comes from “The Good Sister” by Morgan Jones.  
> I liked the onsen episode. Nanako is such a cute character, and I always love her interactions with the rest of the group. I hope you enjoyed the story!  
> -Unit25A


	8. #8: One Night Stands and Lost Weekends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> #8: One Night Stands and Lost Weekends: After a one-night stand, Yu and Naoto are forced to confront what’s always been between them…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!  
> Well I guess I failed my writing challenge for this month. In 31 days I published… 8 stories… But really, I achieved my wider goal of getting good writing practise in, building up some confidence writing and creating the kind of content that I wanted to see. I’m still proud of myself <3   
> So this story is a little NSFW, more Mills and Boone than anything but figured it would be good to give a heads up…  
> I hope you all enjoy it anyway!  
> \- Unit25A

** One Night Stands and Lost Weekends **

Naoto wasn’t “that type of girl”.

She wasn’t the type to stay out till all hours drinking.

She wasn’t the type to sing her voice hoarse at karaoke.

And she certainly wasn’t the type to have a one night stand.

And yet, her head was pounding, her throat felt raw and she was lying in an unfamiliar bed with an unfamiliar man draped across her chest.

_What the hell happened?_

Flashes of the previous night came to her mind.

_Shots of brightly coloured liquor in a densely packed bar… Singing a Risette song very off key in a dingy karaoke parlour… Soft lips crashing against hers in a confused fumble, hands wandering under clothes to explore forbidden places, a man’s toned chest pressed against her own, drawing moans out of her as he-_

_Oh boy…_

What had come over her? She’d gone from being the workaholic Detective Prince, famous for being married to her job, to lying in the bed of her one night stand after a night of debauchery.

And - she realised with a thrill of satisfaction - it felt pretty good to have stepped out of her comfort zone, even if she could barely remember any of it.

She wondered what kind of guy she’d managed to pull. His head was rested against her shoulder, obscuring his face from view as he snored deeply. She hoped he was cute. She decided to let him snooze for a bit longer while she let her investigative eyes roam around the one-room apartment. A pile of anatomy books sat on the desk, and a white coat was draped over the back of his chair. A doctor by the looks of it. _Nice work, drunk Naoto_ , she congratulated herself.

A shelf full of figurines dominated the wall to the right of Naoto. Not too big of a deal. An otaku doctor was a doctor none the less.

Her phone buzzed from underneath her pillow, and as she reached for it Mystery Otaku Doctor’s head lolled to the side, revealing a mop of silver hair, and a very very familiar face. Panic rose in her, and she shoved him ungracefully off her and sprinted for the bathroom.

She’d slept with him- _him-_ of all people.

_Yu Narukami._

This was worse, so so so much worse than she could have ever imagined. Her mind raced as it put the rest of the pieces of the previous night together. Yu had called and asked her to meet earlier than usual for dinner and drinks. Through their final years in high school and college, they had stayed very close, meeting up as often as his busy schedule as an intern at Tokyo University Hospital and her detective work with the Metropolitan Police allowed. This time, he had been pretty distraught. A patient of his had died on the table during a routine procedure and Naoto had felt so desperately sorry for him, she had left work early to console him without hesitation. One drink had turned into two, which had turned into karaoke late into the night, and then into-

_His warm needy mouth on her neck, groaning her name into the soft skin, a sudden hot flash of teeth making her gasp-_

Even huddled over the toilet in his bathroom, the memories made her face flush. It was her every teenage wet dream come true (she would never admit it to anyone, but her sexual awakening had taken the form of him taking off his shirt off to show off his toned chest and stomach the night she had interrogated them in the club in Port Island).

She realised she couldn’t hide in his bathroom forever, and stood shakily to her feet with a sigh. She gargled with some of the mouthwash he had left out on his sink to buy herself some more time before finally taking a tentative step out of the bathroom.

Yu was lying on his side in the bed when she stepped out, a mug of coffee in his hand. He looked rough in the harsh light of day.

_But still just as sexy, damn him…_

 He gestured to another cup on the bedside table on the side Naoto had been lying on.  The sheet draped over his waist reminded Naoto of how starkly naked she was, and she attempted to cover herself with her hands. He tossed her an oversized Tokyo University Hospital sweatshirt to pull on, which she accepted gratefully.

_Fat lot of good that would do now…_

They drank their coffee in silence. The hot drink definitely helped with the hangover. She noticed her head clearing a little more with every sip. He made a good cup of coffee, and she smiled when she realized that he always seemed to remember exactly how she liked hers.

“So…” Yu said eventually, his own voice sounding husky.

“So…” she answered, staring at the floor hard, in the hopes that it would swallow her up.

“The way I see it,” Yu said, setting his empty mug down on the bedside table “We have three options.”

Naoto’s eyes flicked up to meet his, intrigued.

“Number one…You go home now and we chalk it up to a bad decision made by too much alcohol. But there’s always something there, and we can’t help thinking about it every time we’re sitting together with everyone over Yukiko’s terrible cooking…”

That managed to get a smile out of Naoto, even though she felt like her heart was exploding in her chest.

“Number two, we decide to continue this as a purely physical relationship and swear there’s no feelings. Maybe we even date other people-”

Naoto snorted at this notion. She hadn’t had a “date” since she’d let Kanji awkwardly fondle her breasts behind Junes one afternoon in second year (and then he’d broken it off with her two weeks later, which was very telling of something…).

“…Or number three… You and I finally confront what’s always been between us.”

The wind was knocked out of Naoto’s lungs unceremoniously.

“What’s-what’s between us?” she struggled to comprehend what was happening “Last night was a-a-”

She tried to turn away from him, but he took her wrist and forced her to face him.

“A mistake?” he asked her seriously, his grey eyes burning into hers intensely like he was searching her soul.

_-Those grey eyes, hazy and unfocused with pleasure as they looked into hers lovingly. He whimpers her name like a prayer -_

“You can’t hide the truth, Naoto. Not from me”

He finally broke eye contact with her, and she felt relieved, like a one of the strong lights they used in the interrogation rooms had been shining in her face had been turned off.

“You know… You know that there’s always been something between the two of us and we were always too scared to do something about it, not with Rise and Kanji in the picture” he said. She didn’t answer, only bit her lip to stop the terrible truth from tumbling out of her mouth. She’d loved him, always loved him even during her painfully awkward year-long relationship with Kanji. But he’d been with Rise, and then after his move back to Tokyo he’d seemed too busy to even think about dating, so she’d kept her feelings locked away and buried in a deep, dark part of her that she hid even from herself. She hadn’t been able to face them, not when she had believed that there was a snowball’s chance in hell that he reciprocated them. She wasn’t the type of girl that Yu would ever fall in love with.

 “Every week since college ended, I told myself I would tell you how I felt” he said, his voice so shy and soft it almost melted her “How amazing I thought you were. How I couldn’t get you out of my mind. How much I loved you… Well, _still_ loveyou …But I was a coward… ”

Naoto was reeling. This couldn’t be real life, could it? She studied his face with her famously observant blue eyes. He’d only become more handsome as his features had matured, but his face still remained open and honest. She felt a soft smile tug at the corners of her mouth. How could she call herself an ace detective when she failed to notice what was right under nose?

“You don’t have to say anything now,” he assured her hurriedly “But-”

She cut him off with a brash impulsive kiss, seizing his face in both of her hands to pull him close. To her soaring joy, he melted into her touch, deepening the kiss.

“Does that answer it for you?” she asked him breathlessly. He nodded earnestly in answer, laying his hand over the hand she had rested on his cheek.

“So I suppose… I have one more question for you…” he said, a devious and very _very_ sexy smile creeping onto his features “Wanna go again?”

Without hesitation, Naoto dived on him. She had a feeling this was going to be a very interesting weekend.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there!  
> I watched all of the Persona 4 and Golden anime (in Japanese! With no subtitles!) one after another in about 2 weeks after I arrived in Japan for my new job. My conclusion: Naoto and Yu are the cutest couple. And I can’t stop writing stories for them! I think they compliment each other wonderfully, and work together beautifully <3  
> I’d really love to take part in NaNoWriMo next month, but I know that next month will be a very busy month for me personally and professionally, so instead I‘d like to write and publish a Naoto X Yu story every day of October (I was gonna call it… NaoYuTober XD) but really… I’m not sure if that’s realistic seeing as I’ve already missed 2 days… So I’ll just do my best. I had a list of prompts drawn up that I’d been working through steadily so we shall see what happens. I will be taking the name of each story from the name of a crime novel. The name for the overall work is based of the title of the book "The Whole Art of Detection: Lost Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes" by Lyndsay Faye. I haven’t read a lot of the books I'll be using for titles, but if you have let me know if they're worth checking out!  
> I hope you enjoyed the stories! Don’t ever hesitate to hit me up if you want to chat about Persona!!  
> \- Unit25A


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